


A Source of Magic

by Bal3xicon



Series: Casting Their Ballot for Eternity [5]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: A costume party, F/F, Harry Potter business, Lots of flirting and whatnot, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9841109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bal3xicon/pseuds/Bal3xicon
Summary: Prompt: A pair of glasses held together by tape, a missing phone and a small, mean dog.





	

Snow rested on the boughs of trees along the driveway of the grand home. Its weight imposed, enough to snap the branches if it were earlier in the season. Instead they bowed, accustomed to the mass, enough moisture inside them to bend. There was reluctance there. Survival mode. Each branch waited out the darkness and hoped that morning would bring a fraction of warmth, a few degrees to lighten the load.

The winter evening bit at Abby’s nose and fingertips and legs as she stepped out of her vehicle and handed her keys to one of the well-dressed women who stood at the base of the stairs leading to the home’s striking entrance. Stone creatures stood guard, a mirror image of each other as Abby passed between them, taking the stairs too fast for the ice which lingered there, but desperate to be inside.

Her robe streamed out behind her. The breeze and momentum caused the fabric to pull against her skin where it was fastened at the base of her throat and, as she made her way inside the giant doors, she adjusted it and smoothed a hand down her skirt.

Juggling a gift, she followed another sharply dressed woman through the large foyer and was directed to a small room which was already teeming with beautifully wrapped presents.

Her daughter had married into money. Lexa Woods wanted for nothing when it came to material goods, and Abby knew the contents of the parcels in that room would mean little to the woman when compared to the presence of those she cared for. Lexa’s reluctance to indulge her parents’ desires for lavish parties had been swayed by Clarke this year. Knowing what her in laws thrived on, Clarke convinced Lexa to take advantage of their finances for once, and immerse herself in the universe she had dreamed of being part of as a small child. When they had run the idea past Lexa’s parents, the two were overjoyed and were stopped short of inviting J.K. Rowling herself to join the frivolities.

The box Abby held appeared insignificant among the collection, but Abby shrugged as she set it down. The door closed with a click behind her, and the woman ushered Abby to the doors which parted the enormous stair case in the centre of the foyer.

The whole place reminded Abby of the house of Von Trapp, if their staircase had been forked and forming a bridge over the entrance of another room. Abby snorted trying to hold back a giggle at the thought of Lexa and Clarke one day having several singing children standing in order of height and age, marching down the stairs.

The woman placed a hand to Abby’s back, smirking as if hoping to be let in on the joke, but nodding when Abby wasn’t forthcoming. She handed Abby a small card which was barcoded on one side, her name in small print below the black and white lines, and on the reverse a navy crest was adorned with golden words: _Patron -_ _The Three Broomsticks Inn_.

As the door was opened for her, Abby tucked the card into the pocket of her skirt. Her eyes widened as she stepped into the room, taken aback by the sudden burst of sound. Music, conversation and laughter erupted from the room as though the volume had been turned up on a track which had been feint in the background.

She couldn’t conceive of how many people were in the ballroom. Everywhere she looked there were capes, robes, and costumes. Banners hung from the ceiling and walls were adorned with flat screens made to resemble old fashioned paintings. The people who, at first glance, appeared to be still portraits, moved every few seconds.

Abby was at a loss for words.

“Mom!” With a crash, she was tackled by an already merry Clarke who skewed her mother’s robe as she wrapped her arms around the party’s newest arrival.

Adjusting herself, Abby placed a kiss to Clarke’s cheek and asked after the birthday girl thinking if this was the kind of display for 25 years of life, what on earth would be left for 50? Abby shuddered. She was only a couple of years from the latter herself, and pictured a quiet dinner at her own home with Lexa, Clarke, Callie, and a few close friends. An affair like this would cause far too much anxiety. In fact, an affair like this had the potential to see Abby scurrying off to a far corner, even as a guest. She didn’t anticipate being present for more than a couple of hours.

Grabbing her mother by the arm, Clarke began dragging Abby through the costumed crowd toward the larger of two bars which had been set up to resemble a run-down pub. Each bar was complete with staff who were dressed in attire which was completely incongruous with the cost of the affair.

“She’s right over here.” Clarke skipped every few steps and Abby’s heart swelled at how much joy she saw in her daughter’s face in that moment. Her pale blue skirt, and matching blazer with dark trim, made her eyes appear twice as blue as Abby had ever remembered seeing them. As they approached Lexa, it was clear she shared the sentiment, unable to draw her eyes away from her wife who was perfect in her role as the half-Veela Beauxbatons student.

Lexa allowed Clarke to pull her toward Abby, unable to place one foot in front of the other on her own, stunned as she was with the blonde whose arm had snaked under her cape. A mass of chestnut curls, the birthday girl stood out due to her plain clothes. A denim jacket covered her maroon hooded sweatshirt, and was adorned by a Time-turner necklace. Wand tucked into her back pocket, Abby suspected Lexa’s outfit was as much to do with her love of Hermione Granger as it was a rebellion against the need for a party at all.

“Abby, thank you so much for coming.” Lexa embraced her mother-in-law and smiled at the blue-lined hooded robe, grey knit sweater with blue trim, and grey wool skirt. “Anyone in particular?”

“Just a regular old nerd, Lex.” Abby winked and the two shared a laugh before Clarke pulled Abby closer to the bar.

“Everything’s called Butterbeer, nothing’s actually Butterbeer, but if you just ask for Butterbeer and slide your card across the bar, the staff will get you something you like.” Clarke had clearly slid her card across the bar several times and, knowing Lexa and judging by the way her elbows were propped against the bar as she surveyed the room, there was a high chance they’d been there since the party started.

Sliding her card across the bar Abby watched as Lexa and Clarke mingled a few feet away with some people she didn’t recognise.

“I’d ask if I can buy you a drink, but I guess our hostess already has that covered.” A woman, a friend of Lexa’s Abby had met at a few Woods events in the past, leaned against the bar beside her. The smirk she wore saw Abby replicating it without thinking as the bartender placed a glass of something down in front of her.

“You’re right about that.” Abby raised her glass toward the woman before taking a sip and buying time by marvelling at how amazing the concoction tasted. She’d think about its contents when she didn’t have a stunning woman staring back at her through a pair of round rim glasses held together by tape. “I’m Abby, I know we’ve met before, but frankly I can’t think of you as anyone but _Harry_ right now.” Abby held out her hand and smiled at the grin she’d elicited from the other woman, congratulating herself on the smooth cover up.

The gold and maroon tie the woman wore hung loosely around the collar of a white shirt. The collar was open, two buttons undone to reveal a hint of the tattoo Abby remembered seeing in the pictures in Lexa’s and Clarke’s living room.

“I’m Raven.” She clasped Abby’s hand and moved to sit on the stool beside her. “Frankly I’m a little disappointed you don’t remember my name. When I saw you, I was almost certain that’s why you’d dressed like this.” She reached out and ran her fingers along the blue satin on the inside of Abby’s robe, hand brushing against Abby’s arm and closer to her chest than she could cope with.

Abby took a breath and a long sip of her drink, setting the glass down on the bar before glancing at the woman again. “In fairness, doesn’t Lexa also have a friend named Wren or Finn, and a cousin named Lark or something similar?” Abby leaned an elbow against the bar, settling into the conversation which felt a lot like picking up where they had left off at the last big event. While the name had escaped her, momentarily, Abby was sure she could recite everything Raven had told her about her work and about her love for bands who did soft rock covers of 90s R&B tracks.

Raven laughed. “Clarke has a friend named Finn, Lexa has a friend named Wren, but Lexa’s cousin, Anya, refers to Lexa and Clarke as Lexarke, like a portmanteau, you know when you take two words and you-”

“I know what a portmanteau is, Raven.” Abby smirked.

Raven sat, mouth agape as though she were unsure how to close it having not been allowed to finish.

Abby slid her drinks car to the bartender again and gestured toward Raven’s. Taking it from her, Abby placed it beside her own and waited on the two drinks before continuing. “So, I suppose by Anya’s rules, that would make you and I Abbaven?” She smirked as she sipped the new drink, another incredible flavour she would ponder when she wasn’t otherwise occupied.

“Very cheeky, Abby. I like it.” Raven raised her eyebrows over the rim of her glass before setting it down. “But I’m not sold on that, to be honest. What if we just combine our occupations instead? Then we get to brag about what we do, and who we do, at the very same time?” Now it was Raven’s turn to smirk. “How about Doctor Mechanic?”

“As I recall, Raven Reyes,” the surname coming back to her all at once, “-you’re more than a mechanic.” Her mind began reeling with details she had learned during their last encounter.

The cocky mechanic worked for NASA, was the Head Engineer of the Mechanical Design Division at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She had more degrees than almost anyone Abby knew, besides herself, and all before the age of 30, if Abby recalled correctly. Between the drinks, the stunning woman in front of her, and being acutely aware of what Raven’s brain was capable of, Abby’s body was humming.

“Well, you’re more than just a doctor, Chief,” Raven reached a hand toward Abby’s tie, loosening it so that it more closely resembled her own and undoing the top button. Her fingers skirted over the skin of Abby’s collarbone before she leaned in to whisper in Abby’s ear, “-but that’s just semantics.”

 

* * *

The ebb and flow of the two making their way into the throng of party goers before retreating to the bar, continued for much of the night. The hours passed, and each time Abby was feeling overwhelmed by the people and the sounds of the room, she found Raven in the quiet corner of the room the two had claimed for their own, she felt her energy returning in waves.

Each corner of the ballroom had common rooms set up with furniture and paraphernalia which fit with the image of those in each house. The maroon wallpaper behind them contained embossed gold pictures and was highlighted by portraits in golden frames.

On the coffee table in front of the maroon sofa Abby and Raven occupied, their phones, drink cards and several empty glasses provided evidence of how distracted they had become by each other over the course of the evening. Abby’s wand sat beside Raven’s discarded glasses, and Abby was grateful to be able to see the woman’s eyes better, although she now found herself too easily lost in deep brown.

Between the alcohol and the bodies in the room, both Abby and Raven had grown warmer. Raven had removed her grey Gryffindor sweater and had the sleeves of her white shirt rolled to her elbows revealing more tattoos on her forearm which Abby hadn’t been aware of. As they drifted closer throughout the night, Abby found herself tracing her fingers along the images and words, asking questions about each new one she discovered, and receiving a history of the woman before her in the reveal.

“I have work in the morning.” Raven hung her head as the giant clock struck a new hour, interrupting the music for a few moments. Disappointment was evident in her tone. “I have a flight to Alabama to catch at 5am. Consult at Marshall. It’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker.” Raven massaged her temples pre-emptively.

Reaching for her phone, Abby unlocked it and handed it to Raven. “Put your number in. Maybe when you’re back we can get another drink together. Maybe you can buy me one next time.” Abby felt her heart racing and knew it was only due in part to the alcohol. Presumptuous had worked for her earlier, and she hoped it might again.

Raven added her number and then pressed the blue handset icon and waited for the other phone on the table to ring. “And now you have mine, so you know who’s calling you in three days’ time.” Pocketing the phone in her hand, Raven stood and reached to pull Abby up from her position on the sofa.

As they stood, inches apart, Abby felt her head begin to spin. Reaching out, she caressed the side of Raven’s face with her thumb before sneaking her fingers around the woman’s neck and into her hair. She felt both of Raven’s hands come to rest on her cheeks in the moment before the woman moved closer. Abby wished the common room had a door, the sort which could block out the noise and frivolities around them. She wished Raven had snuck her into the Gryffindor common room and could sneak her the rest of the way upstairs to the dorms.

Abby blushed at the ridiculousness of her own thoughts, and again when she felt Raven’s tongue teasing at her lip. Drawing their bodies closer, Abby no longer cared who was around or who could spot them in their place in the corner of the room. The kiss they shared had been building since the first night they met, since the first time she’d seen the woman smirk. She felt her knees all but give out and felt that smirk against her lips as Raven wrapped and arm around her waist to hold her up as she did the thing with her tongue again.

“Jesus, Raven.” Abby pulled away, her hand against Raven’s chest to stop her as she moved to kiss her again. “If you want any sleep before your flight, you need to not do that again.” Abby took a deep breath and rolled her eyes at the smug look on Raven’s face.

“Three days, Abby.” Raven ran her hands up Abby’s side, her thumbs ghosting at the sides of Abby’s breasts. She looked Abby in the eyes and Abby felt it everywhere, body humming more intensely than the first time Raven had touched her hours before. “Three more days.”

With a kiss to Abby’s cheek, Raven disappeared into the crowd and Abby flopped back down onto the sofa they had shared. It was going to be a long three days.

  

* * *

Abby was only vaguely aware of the buzzing on her nightstand. Rolling over in bed she regretted moving within and instant, the feeling of nausea overtaking her. Face buried in her pillow, she tried to muster the energy to open her eyes and check the time. One opened more easily than the other, and she could just make out the numbers on the clock by her bed which danced as she blinked at the light streaming through the gaps in her blinds.

10:05AM

Reaching out a hand she grabbed for the water bottle and pills she had left by the clock, aware of how these things went, and always prepared to counter the thick feeling in her head and stomach early.

Swallowing the pills, Abby took her time to prop herself up on her elbow. Drinking the remaining water, she reached for a second pillow and sat herself up in the bed surveying the costume items which lay strewn across the floor, discarded as she made her way to the bed the previous night.

Pressing the home key on her phone, there was a missed call from a number which looked familiar, but in her foggy state she couldn’t place why. Abby closed her eyes for a few more moments and willed the water and pills to work quickly enough that the walk to the kitchen for food wasn’t torture.

Abby pulled on a pair of sweatpants over the top of the sleep shorts she was impressed to have made it into the night before. She added socks and a thick hooded sweater to combat the cold, and pulled the sleeves down over her hands to keep them warm as she braved the rest of her house. It was an ice box before she turned on the heat each morning.

Slipping the phone into her pocket, she padded down the hall and flipped a switch before doing the same in the kitchen to start the coffee machine. She had just set a frying pan and bacon out on the counter when the phone vibrated against her thigh. Retrieving it from her pocket, she frowned, puzzled by the familiarity of the number and confused as to why it wasn’t stored in her phone.

“Hello, this is Abby Griffin.”

“Hey. This is Raven. Notice anything strange about your phone just now?”

Abby frowned, trying to open the packet of bacon with one hand before sighing and giving up. “Um, I’m confused about why your number seems familiar even though I’ve never known it. You’ve called a couple of times now. I was asleep before, sorry.”

She heard Raven giggling on the other end of the line and was envious of how awake she sounded. If the woman had a hangover, she sure as hell wasn’t bothered by it.

“Abby, pull the phone away from you ear for a minute and look at it.” There was amusement in Raven’s voice, and while a game was the last thing Abby was in the mood for, she didn’t mind playing with Raven.

Looking down at the phone in her hand, she turned it over in her palm several times, looking at it in disbelief. The cover on the phone was a translucent green, the sticker beneath it reading:

 

**MECHANIC**

**noun (muh-kan-ik)**

**Someone who fixes shit you can’t.**

 

“Raven.” Abby placed the phone back against her ear. “When did you do this? What have you done with my phone cover?” She moved it away from her head and looked at it again before putting it to her ear to hear Raven laughing so hard she could almost feel the woman’s shoulders shaking.

“Abby,” Raven had tried to hold in another laugh but it burst out of her and even caused a smile to creep across Abby’s lips which had been pressed together in confusion, “-Abby, your phone is rose gold. The one you’re holding is silver. The reason my number looked familiar is because it’s _yours_. I’m calling you from _your own_ phone.”

There was too much information in Raven’s statement for Abby to process all at once. Looking at it again, she hit the home key. The screen background which appeared was also one Abby didn’t recognise.

“I’m holding your phone.”

“That’s precisely what I’ve called to tell you, Abby.” The amusement which lingered in Raven’s tone made Abby smile until she realised Raven was most of the way across the country.

“So what do we do about this?” Abby rounded her counter and sat herself down on a stool, the bacon and frying pan forgotten for the time being.

“Well, we could overnight them to each other, or we could just wait an extra day and exchange them in person.” Raven’s tone was playful now, and as much as Abby wanted her phone back, she would much rather have a genuine excuse to see the mechanic in two days’ time.

“Wait a minute,” Abby’s brow furrowed again, “-how did you managed to make a call on my phone if it was locked?” She didn’t know whether to be concerned that someone she barely knew had full access to her phone. Although, if she thought about it, there would be very little Raven would find besides her work email and rather eclectic music collection. Anything else was either password protected or a word game app in which Raven was more than welcome to try to use the letters P, V, D, and, U to finish her Scrabble game with Callie in a spectacular fashion.

“Honestly Abby, your passcode was CLARKE, it was the first one I tried. Not exactly rocket science.” Abby smiled at the joke. “I’m sorry if that was the wrong thing to do, but because you have _my_ phone, I had no other numbers. I couldn’t call Lexa, Clarke, or Octavia because I’ve not ever had a need to memorise their numbers. I swear to God, I’ve not done anything besides call my own number from your phone, okay?” Raven spoke faster the further she dove into her explanation, and Abby felt guilty for implying Raven had done something wrong.

“It’s fine, Raven, but do I at least get to know your passcode? I’m in the same boat as you. I wouldn’t even be able to call my own daughter without my phone. At least she’s in your contacts.” While it was likely Abby would need to talk to Clarke before Raven returned, she could also drive over to see her if phone communication was an issue.

Abby heard Raven take a deep breath before mumbling her answer. “My password is Griffin.”

“G-R-Y-F-F-I-N, as in Gryffindor, the house you dressed in last night? I had you pegged as a Ravenclaw, to be honest.”

“I am. Every test, every time. But the online store I bought the costume from sent me everything in the correct size and wrong colors. I didn’t have time to rectify that before the party. I suppose I should be grateful everything matched.” Raven sighed, the sound dramatic and causing Abby to laugh through her nose at the woman. “Anyway, putting in that password won’t get you anywhere. It’s G-R-I-F-F-I-N, 4-7-4-3-3-4-6 if you prefer the digits. And that’s Griffin, as in Abigail, a hot doctor I met once.”

Abby’s felt her cheeks burn at the implication. “Really?”

“Try it.”

Abby removed the phone from her ear and tapped her surname into the keypad. She was in. “Wow. Okay. Did you do this last night?”

“Nope. That’s been my passcode for at least six months now.”

“Did you plan this?” A curious smile spread across Abby’s face. She didn’t even mind if Raven had.

“Plan what, Abby? You handed me your phone. We were both drinking. I put it in my pocket without thinking, end of story, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologise, I’m just-”

“Surprised?” Raven supplied.

“Yes. Pleasantly surprised. Look, how about if anyone tries to contact me just give them your number and I’ll do the same. Will that work?” Abby wracked her brain for any other issues which may occur under the circumstances.

“Yeah, that’s probably best. Put this number in _my_ phone under _your_ name and I’ll call you when I get back in, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you. I hope your trip goes well.”

“It’ll be fine. Have a great weekend, Abby.” Raven ended the call after a beat and Abby added her number to Raven’s contacts, amusing herself as she labelled it _Hot Doctor_.

Now awake, and distracted from the early signs of her hangover, Abby packed away the items she had out on the counter. Smirking, she scrolled Raven’s contacts for her own daughter’s phone number. Having left her car at their place the night before, she needed to retrieve it so she could get to work later.

Tapping Clarke’s name, Abby then tapped the handset icon and waited. She was certain the call was about to go to message bank when a groggy voice answered.

“Rae? What the fuck? I’m still asleep. Lexa kept me up all night insisting I do that thi-”

“Clarke! This is your mother.” Abby was wide eyed and regretted having called from Raven’s phone.

“Fuck. Why are you calling me from Rae’s phone. Tell me you didn’t sleep with her, Mom.” Clarke spoke around a yawn, and Abby was sure her daughter wouldn’t even remember her faux pas when she was wide awake.

Abby laughed. It could be fun to string Clarke along for a while. “How about I fill you in over breakfast?”

  

* * *

 

Raven called Abby late Monday evening. Abby blushed as _Hot Doctor_ appeared on the screen of Raven’s phone before her.

Raven’s flight had been delayed, and Abby could hear the exhaustion in the woman’s voice. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was what the woman would sound like if she woke up next to her in bed. Abby shook her head. Her mind had been jumping from thought to thought since their kiss at the party. She had replayed it as many times as she had manipulated it and made it into something more.

Raven yawned as she asked if Abby would mind doing the phone exchange the following day, instead. Abby was on night shift on Tuesday and Raven was taking two days off to make up for her missed weekend. Abby calculated the hours between meeting Raven and having to work and tried to do everything she could to distract herself from the possibilities those hours held.

As she drove to Raven’s the following morning, Abby marvelled at how drastically the weather had changed since the weekend. While it was likely they’d have snow again by week’s end, the temperature had risen by almost forty degrees drying the surfaces which had been soaked as ice melted in the days before.

Parking across the street, Abby double checked the number on the address Raven had sent her. The house was tiny. A fenced yard housed a small dog which was visible between the posts as it ran back and forth performing guard duty and barking as Abby approached. Walking toward the gate built into the centre of the fence, Abby reached a hand over to pull up the latch only to be met by the dog leaping at the gate and growling viciously at her.

Abby was just about to phone Raven to help her when the front door opened. Beaming, Raven walked out onto the porch and sat herself down on the top step, calling the dog to her as she did so. Without another glance at Abby, the dog bounded over to Raven and sat beside her, burrowing his face under her arm, demanding affection.

The tank top and short shorts Raven wore distracted Abby from her task of opening the gate. The shorts revealed even more ink, her right thigh adorned with outlines of flowers and several other images Abby couldn’t make out.

“You’re allowed to come in, you know. If I’m here, he won’t even grumble about guests, trust me.” Raven’s smile did things to Abby that she didn’t have words for. There was more happiness than space between them and, as she entered the yard and walked closer, it multiplied before her.

“Hi.” Raven looked up at Abby and her smile switched from innocent to cocky at the look in Abby’s eyes.

“Hi.” Abby chewed on the inside of her lip before pulling Raven’s sticky taped Harry Potter glasses from her shirt pocket. “Now, would you believe I’ve walked this whole city looking for every Harry Potter from the other night, trying to find the woman who wore these?” Raven’s smile grew wider and Abby continued. “She made my head spin and then left in such a hurry. I’ve visited every woman who dressed as Harry Potter that night. Every one of them tried on these glasses, and-” Abby was amused by her own tale now and found it difficult to talk around her own grin, “-and would you believe, the glasses didn’t fit any of them?” Abby moved to the step below Raven and crouched so that she was positioned between Raven’s legs.

“Try me.” Raven licked her lower lip before sinking her teeth into it. “See if they fit.”

Unfolding the arms, Abby made a show of taking a deep breath and leaning forward to place the glasses on Raven’s face.

“Perfect.”

Raven looked as ridiculous as she had when she had first approached Abby at the bar that night, but it didn’t stop Abby leaning forward to kiss her.

The dog, whose name Abby still didn’t know, nestled himself between them, content in Abby’s presence once Raven approved. Raven brought her hands up to cup Abby’s cheeks as she had done at the party, and Abby knelt on the step before wrapping her arms around Raven’s waist. Pulling her closer, Abby felt Raven sigh against her lips.

“Jesus, Abby.” Raven pulled away still holding Abby’s face in her hands. “Perfect is right.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Shelby who I confused the hell out of. No, this is not set in the Harry Potter universe. No, that wasn't clear in the first instance :)


End file.
